


Running in Circles

by kopycat_101



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bittersweet Ending, Break Up, Complicated Relationships, Consensual Underage Sex, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Infidelity, Gay Marc Anciel, High School, Hurt/Comfort, Luka is 18 and Marc is 16, Luka is always the second choice, M/M, Male Friendship, Non-Explicit Sex, POV Luka Couffaine, Pansexual Luka Couffaine, Past Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Rare Pairings, Slash, Songwriting, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Teenage Drama, Underage Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:46:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27034402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kopycat_101/pseuds/kopycat_101
Summary: Marc is the picture-perfect boyfriend. Except...Sometimes, when they’re together, the writer gets a faraway look in his eyes.And Luka knows he’s lost him.Luka and Marc have been dating for eight months now. But Luka is starting to have his doubts. He’s just not sure how to confront Marc about his theory that the writer is in love with someone else.
Relationships: Luka Couffaine & Alix Kubdel, Marc Anciel & Luka Couffaine, Marc Anciel & Luka Couffaine & Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Marc Anciel & Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Marc Anciel/Luka Couffaine, Marc Anciel/Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 32





	Running in Circles

**Author's Note:**

> Luka and Marc are a pairing that has so much sheer raw potential, but there's barely any content of them, and that's a shame. Because of that, I had to write about them!
> 
> ...Except I made it angsty and complicated. Whoops.
> 
> I just love them both. Writing and songwriting, plus punk aesthetic, plus them both having potent Gay Energy equals an interesting pairing in my eyes.

* * *

_Let go,_

_I got a feeling,_

_That it’s time to let go,_

_I said so,_

_I knew that this was doomed,_

_From the getgo._

—Circles, Post Malone

* * *

Luka and Marc sit together on Luka’s bed, Marc scribbling in his notebook and Luka trying to figure out the chords to his newest song.

Luka felt like he was going in circles with this newest song, but…

Wait.

The musician nudges the other teen with his sock-clad foot. Without hesitation, Marc grabs an extra pen from his hoodie and tosses it over to Luka. The older teen catches it in the air with his honed reflexes as the younger one goes back to writing.

Luka scribbles down the new chord sequence on his own notebook from his flash of inspiration. He sets both pen and notebook down, re-strumming the chords on his guitar.

Much better. He grins, nodding to himself, fingers playing the notes again.

When he’s done making sure everything sounds right, he shifts, moving over to sit by his boyfriend. He leaves a quick peck on the other’s cheek, startling Marc from his writing.

Marc flashes him an automatic smile, cheeks flushed a cute pink. Luka leans in to leave a kiss on his glossy lips, causing Marc to giggle. “You’re welcome…?” the writer says bemusedly.

“I finally figured the chords out. Do you want to hear what I’ve got, or should I give you a few more minutes?”

“I can listen now,” the writer replies softly, setting his notebook down on his lap.

Luka goes back to earlier spot, picking up his guitar. When he looks over at Marc, his boyfriend is looking in his direction. But his gaze is faraway.

Luka feels a twinge in his heart, like an untuned string being plucked.

He shakes his head, and readies his fingers, playing the song he’s been working on.

Marc closes his eyes with a small smile, gently bobbing his head to the music. Long lashes fluttering against his tanned skin, flyaway dark hair shifting, the curve of his plump lips a gentle thing.

He looks at peace. He looks beautiful.

Luka feels his heart swell as he plays his heart out, strings thrumming against his fingertips. For two, maybe three minutes, he plays and sings. Has the other’s undivided attention.

Luka trails off as he finishes. When Marc opens his eyes again, they’re vibrant. He looks at Luka with soft affection and awe.

“That was beautiful, Lu,” the writer says quietly, but with sincerity.

The anxious knot in the musician’s stomach lessens.

* * *

Luka’s enjoyed this…for as long as it’s lasted.

Marc’s a sweet boy. So kind and intelligent, so talented, and pretty on top of that.

He’s considerate, too. Always goes out of his way to ask if Luka needs something, attuned to even the feelings that Luka tries to bury deep down, looking past the mask to see the pain underneath. An open ear, a shoulder to cry on, a steady presence.

Marc’s always willing to make time despite his busy schedule, likes to help workshop Luka’s lyrics when asked, and attends Kitty Section practices religiously. They like the same type of music, and all the same bands, and their interests and individual talents manage to cross more often than not.

Luka enjoys spending time with Marc. Enjoys his soft voice and sweet smile and the enthusiasm that lights up his emerald eyes.

He even enjoys the way the other pants and moans when they make love, the sounds like the sweetest symphony to his ears.

Marc is the picture-perfect boyfriend. Except…

Sometimes, when they’re together, the writer gets a faraway look in his eyes.

And Luka knows he’s lost him.

* * *

Maybe Luka hasn’t even lost Marc. Maybe he’s been gone this entire time.

Luka didn’t want to believe it, for a long time. A part of him still doesn’t, even now.

Marc knows a lot about Luka. More than Marinette ever did, or ever bothered to, when they were together. More than his other past, short-lived romances. More than most of his friends, even.

Him and Marc have been dating for a solid eight months, going on nine. That’s not an insignificant amount of time, especially as they’re both in their final years of public schooling. Hell, Luka’s technically an adult. This is his longest-lasting romantic relationship to date.

Marc knows him well. Knows the little things: his favorite bands, his favorite foods, favorite color and aesthetics, favorite school subjects, the recipes he cooks for dinner. The ticks that Luka has, like him twisting his bracelets or rings as a stim, how he uses one of his bracelets specifically to remember if he took his meds, is always willing to let Luka borrow a pen to scribble snippets of lyrics or chords as they come to him.

Marc knows some of the big things, too. Those emerald eyes of his looked through Luka’s veneer of calm confidence, saw his anxieties, and offered a helping hand. Marc knows how Luka feels pressured to help his family stay afloat, knows he’s had to half-raise Juleka since he was young, knows that he feels like he has to half-raise his own mother too, knows that he has to smoke weed sometimes just to keep himself from breaking down and subsequently getting Akumatized for it.

Marc knows him better than nearly everyone minus his literal sister and mother, and it’s both relieving and terrifying.

Luka knows quite a bit about Marc as well, of course. The big and small. Like Marc’s affinity for cooking and spicy food, how he used to do gymnastics, what goes into his makeup routine, how he struggles to find pants in his size that don’t end up short on his longer legs.

Knows Marc’s insecurities about his writing, knows the pressure he feels to live up to his successful mothers, knows his past with bullying and constantly having to switch schools, knows how he’s been used by guys to test out their sexualities and barely taken out on proper dates.

They’ve both shared their interests, and their burdens, and their time. They know each other well.

And yet…Luka still knows there’s parts of Marc that he doesn’t want to admit to.

Yes, Luka still has his own demons he hasn’t fully divulged—his stint as a superhero included in that list—but he was upfront with Marc about his past romantic interests. He offered a relationship despite the possibility of his feelings coming back for Marinette, even if he’s moved on from her.

Marc agreed.

Time and time again, Luka warned him. But Marc still stayed.

And yet… Marc was still obviously not over his _own_ past romantic interests. Every time the other’s green eyes go glassy, Luka knew he was thinking about Nathaniel.

Luka never got jealous of Marc spending time with Nathaniel. Marc and Nathaniel were friends, after all, possibly even best friends. They made a comic together. Luka trusted Marc not to cheat on him. Hell, Marc would probably drown in his own tears and pure regret before ever cheating. He was just that empathetic and emotional.

But every time Marc got the faraway look in his eyes… or he took too long to answer Luka calling his name, as if expecting someone else’s voice to use it…or even the times he blinked up at Luka, dazed to see him after they’ve done something intimate…

These occurrences were more frequent than Luka expected.

It was different from the way Luka’s attention wandered because of his disorder. It was like Marc was jumping headfirst into daydreams, even if reality was playing right in front of him…

And then Marc would bat those long lashes of his, and shake his head, and give an adorably sheepish expression and little “Sorry, Luka, what was that?”. And the musician would find his heart melting, promptly berating himself for being paranoid.

But the doubts still lingered. And the cycle repeats.

* * *

Marc’s head was thrown back as he moans, eyes closed shut, squirming under Luka’s body. “Nnnngh—N-Na—Aaaahn…!” the writer stutters out, before biting his lip and opening his eyes hazily.

Marc stares into Luka’s eyes as he comes, moaning and unable to form words.

Luka feels his own release rush through him, thrusting a few more times into the other’s tight heat, before retracting and collapsing next to his boyfriend, panting.

When Marc snuggles into his arms, Luka _swears_ Marc mumbles ‘Nath’.

The musician wants to say it’s his ears playing tricks on him—really, he desperately wishes it was this—but his ears are fine-tuned from a lifetime of playing music. They’re rarely wrong.

His heart shatters even as it thrums in his chest, the writer snuggling into his chest.

Only the haze of pleasure from post-orgasm bliss is probably what keeps him from getting Akumatized then and there, as he closes his eyes and forces himself to go to sleep.

* * *

Marc doesn’t make another slip while they’re in bed, but he still keeps closing his eyes at random intervals when they have sex. Sometimes he stares into Luka’s eyes as if he’s not seeing them at all, even as his back arches and mewls slip past his lips.

Marc’s not cheating on him. Luka knows Marc wouldn’t, and that he wouldn’t be able to handle the guilt if he did. Plus, Nathaniel’s been acting the same. Absolutely no change in him when he talks to Luka. No guilt to be found.

The thing that bothers him most is that Luka’s been having a harder time listening to Marc’s heart song. It’s as if…As if it’s playing on a janky radio signal. There’s static sometimes, where there shouldn’t be.

Luka just wonders how long he’ll last before he accidentally does something he’ll regret, like snap at Marc.

It’s not Marc’s fault, he knows. Sometimes…The heart wants what it wants. And it wants something complicated, out of reach, something you can’t ever have—

Luka knows. He’s learned that the hard way with Marinette.

A part of him—the angry, selfish, bitter, _tired_ part—wants Marc to learn that hard truth.

The other part of him—the one that is sympathetic, and patient, and loving— the part that loves and supports Marc wholeheartedly…doesn’t want Marc to learn the harsh reality at all.

He knows that if he doesn’t say anything, the cycle will repeat. He’ll just keep running in circles. But he keeps hesitating.

* * *

Luka tries not to pull away.

Pulling away creates more problems than it solves. He knows this from experience. It’s always good to be open with people. Less room for error, for betrayal.

Yet, as Marc gets frequently more distant, Luka feels himself pulling away and coiling up. He finds himself be hopelessly stuck.

It’s like they’re just running in circles, on opposite sides, running and running and never meeting, trying to run away from each other. Run away from the inevitable.

Luka’s been running away from this for too long. He _has_ to bring it up sooner, rather than later.

They were coming up on ten months soon. And Luka’s going to graduate not long from now. He has to do it before then. He _has_ to.

* * *

Luka hasn’t been able to write new songs.

Marc was his inspiration for months now. With the writer’s slowly declining visits, and the pressure of the situation, of their looming breakup, it all just…Wasn’t very conductive for songwriting, to say the least.

His boyfriend still attends Kitty Section practices. He still attends them and seems attentive, seems to enjoy them. But everyone else in the band know that something’s wrong, no doubt being able to pick up on it from their general closeness.

They probably think it’s because of the pressure of Luka graduating soon. Probably thinking that Luka is trying to figure out what to do in the future, and how his relationship with Marc will work.

If only it were that simple…

This practice, Luka’s off his game. He knows he is. The others know he is. He messes up the song order, his playing is sloppy, and he even stumbles through the lyrics when it’s his time to sing.

When practice ends, Luka sighs, jittery, fiddling and spinning his rings with shaking hands. The rest of the band members stare at him, a silent question hanging over their heads that they don’t voice aloud.

Juleka—bless his sister—is the one to direct the band to start packing up. She gives him a sympathetic look and just-so-happens to decide to spend the rest of the day with Rose. Her girlfriend also gives Luka a sympathetic look, big blue eyes flickering between him and Marc not-so-subtly.

Ivan and Mylene are quick to leave as well, nodding to Luka and Marc, looking awkward but encouraging as they leave with clasped hands.

That just leaves Luka and his boyfriend.

Luka puts his guitar away, and Marc helps turn off the speakers and gather the electrical cords. They do so silently, a practiced thing. But the silence isn’t familiar or comfortable. It’s tense.

“Let’s head down to my room,” Luka offers, tongue heavy in his mouth.

Marc frowns back at him, fiddling with his fingerless gloves, and nods.

* * *

The tense atmosphere doesn’t leave when they’re in Luka’s room. If anything, it gets worse.

But after weeks of Marc being distant, mind far away while they spend time together, he finally _looks_ at Luka. Properly.

“W-what…What’s wrong?” Marc asks quietly in a tentative whisper.

“ _You’re drifting away from me_ ,” Luka wants to scream, “ _You’re drifting away and you keep thinking about Nathaniel all the time, even when we fuck, and I can’t hear your heart-song half the time, Marc, what the hell is that even about—_ "

Instead, he takes a deep breath and says in an even voice, “Marc, I know you’re busy and you have a lot on your mind, but you’ve been feeling…distant, lately.”

Marc’s face falls—a guilty confirmation, shame shining in his eyes alongside a slight sheen of tears—and then the writer’s grabbing Luka by the face and bringing him into a searing kiss.

“I’m sorry. I’m here,” Marc whispers against his lips, before moving down to mouth at his jawline, down to his neck. Luka lets out a shaky breath, tilting his head to the side to give his boyfriend more access.

Is this a distraction tactic, or something sincere…?

If it was just a distraction, Marc would probably be trying to fuck him instantly. The way he’s whispering “sorry” across the hollow of Luka’s throat, kissing him slowly and meticulously, how he presses his wet lashes against Luka’s collarbone, says otherwise.

He places his hands on Marc’s hips, nudging up the edge of the other’s t-shirt to rub soothing circles against the soft flesh there, and lets himself enjoy their intimacy.

* * *

They make love, and Marc is vibrant and gorgeous. No closing his eyes or falling into a thousand-yard stare.

Luka imprints every detail into his memory, like he did when they had their first time. The arch of Marc’s spine, the way his tanned skin glistens with sweat, the pleasure in his eyes, the sound of his moans, the musky tang of his skin, the exact shape of his hips in Luka’s hands.

It’s phenomenal. It’s also the last time they’ll ever do this, Luka knows.

But he lets himself forget, for the time being, and lives in the moment.

* * *

Luka doesn’t bring it up right away.

It’s selfish of him, he knows. But he wants to keep this going, for as many precious seconds as he can. Wants to keep up the veneer, the warmth, the sense of accomplishment. The affection. He lets Marc cuddle into his side. Lets his lashes flutter closed. Lets him bask for a few minutes.

And then he takes in a deep breath, and lets out a long sigh.

“Lu…?” Marc asks, quietly concerned, shifting to detach himself from Luka’s side. The musician already misses the warmth. “Luka?”

The writer looks up at him with big, doe eyes. But Luka closes his, not willing to get lost in their depths. He might chicken out completely if he does.

“I think…I think we should stop,” he says haltingly. “Doing this, I mean.”

Even when he’s trying to break things off, he has no spine, leaving things open-ended. God. He hates himself.

The musician forces his eyes open, staring down at the younger teen. The writer is frozen, staring back at him. His eyebrows are draw down as he frowns, hurt dancing in his eyes. “Wh…What?”

“I’m afraid this isn’t working, Marc,” Luka says apologetically, chest clenching when he sees the crestfallen look befall the other’s face. “I know you know that it’s not working, even though we’re both trying so hard to keep things going…”

“But…But I thought…” Marc whispers, fingers twisting and clenching the sheets, posture as tight as a bowstring.

Luka lets out a long breath, an apologetic sigh.

He hates doing this. But it has to be done.

“Believe me, I’ve been enjoying being together. Really, I have! It’s just…” the musician trails off. He can’t keep looking at the lost expression on the younger teen’s face, so he looks up at the ceiling instead, the patterns of the worn wood familiar and grounding. “I just can’t keep doing this, Marc. Not whenever you keep thinking about someone else, every time we’re together.”

From his peripherals, he sees Marc flinch. Luka peers over, watching the guilt etched in the other’s face.

“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Marcs warbles out, voice quiet and small, drawing down into himself physically. Looking small and lost, like a kitten abandoned in the rain.

Luka gives a slight grin, lips feeling like they were twisted up with bitterness and edged with barbed wire even as he keeps his voice soothing and low. “C’mon, Marc. We both know. There’s really no point denying it…”

‘Nathaniel’, the name floats between them, unsaid.

“…Was it that obvious?” the other asks with a visible cringe. He shifts, fingers playing with the sheets threaded in his hands, a look of deep discomfort and regret on his tanned face.

“Yeah, sadly,” the older teen shrugs, propping his head up with his arm. He waits, looking at the way the writer takes a breath to steady himself, all but seeing the other work through a solution in that lightning-fast way of his.

“I…I didn’t mean to…to do this to you,” Marc says carefully, each word measured and dripping with self-loathing. And, oh, he didn’t doubt it. Marc is a bit of a nurturer; not the type to purposefully hurt those he cares about.

“Your heart’s always been his. And the heart wants what it wants,” the musician says, trying to keep his voice casual and light. Understanding. Even as his stomach is twisted in knots and his heart _aches_. “I don’t really blame you. Never could, really.”

“I-I tried, Luka. I really did!” the other blurts out, frantic, emerald eyes wide and wild. “And, and I’d thought I was doing a good job a-at this, but…But I just…” the writer gives a frustrated whine, burying his face in his hands, form shaking minutely soon afterwards.

Luka can’t help but put an arm around Marc and rub the writer’s naked back, his need to help the boy outweighing his need to be bitter. "I know, Marc. I know,” he soothes in a low voice. “And… believe me when I say that I really enjoyed this. You _have_ been a good boyfriend.”

“I would’ve been a better one, if I’d just forgotten about him,” the other mutters out, voice watery and choked.

“I wouldn’t want you to. This was all my fault, anyways,” Luka sighs, rubbing Marc’s back gently.

Marc takes a good minute or two to pull himself together, the musician waiting patiently as the other gasps out silent sobs, form trembling.

When Marc takes his splotchy face from his hands and looks back up at him, his emerald eyes are gleaming from both tears and intense analysis, surveying him. He looks confused, questions written across his face. _How, why, what do you mean, Luka?_

“I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to date a person who was set on someone else. Let’s say, as some wisdom gained from certain past experiences… But the sucker in me fell for you anyways,” Luka admits, a self-deprecating smile unfurling across his lips, unraveling his arm from Marc’s side. “You were cute and single. Sue me.”

A pink flush creeps up the other’s cheeks—the flush that Luka loves to see so much on Marc’s tanned cheeks—and he tries to beat the fluttering fuzzy feelings in check.

“So you’re… _not_ going to blame me for this. A-and you’re okay with me leaving to just—to run after another guy?” The skepticism was thick in Marc’s voice. Wording it that way, it did, in fact, sound surreal.

“Oh, it definitely sounds insane when you say it out loud, I’ll admit,” the musician starts, bemused, before becoming more serious. “But…yeah. I’d rather you be happy— _truly_ happy, Marc. Not just content for settling with me and wondering about what-ifs.”

The writer stares back at him, wide-eyed and mouth agape, almost as if in awe. After a few seconds, he shakes his head, seemingly shaking himself out of his trance. “Lu…you…”

The other clamps his mouth shut, face morphing into a deeply thoughtful expression. The older teen waits for the other’s verdict.

Marc looks down at his hands, then over at Luka’s. With careful and obvious movements, he goes to grab onto both of Luka’s hands. The musician lets him, knowing that he was looking for something to ground himself, an anchor to give him strength for what he was going to say next.

Marc looks down at their clasped hands for a few moments—as if memorizing how they looked, how they felt—before he raises his head to look in Luka’s eyes with a soft, melancholic twist of his lips. “You really are too good for me, Luka… Kind, understanding, witty, attractive—I _should’ve_ fallen in love with you,” Marc starts, voice quiet, “I tried my hardest to. But…well, it seems I’m a glutton for punishment…”

He looked on the verge of tears again.

Now, that won’t do.

The musician huffs, letting go of one of Marc’s hands to flick him lightly in the forehead. Marc squeaks, reeling back and placing his free hand on his forehead, pouting back at Luka like a disgruntled kitten would.

“You need to stop dismissing your own good qualities as well. You’re just being self-depreciative now,” the musician says evenly. “You’re one of the most talented people I know, Marc. You’re also kind, sweet, sharp, and super cute to boot. Honestly, I was lucky that you took me at all.”

“Besides, I…I’m not as good as you make me. I’m selfish, Marc,” he admits, with a sputtered-out chuckle, full of bitterness. “I knew I wouldn’t get you to forget about Nathaniel, and that you had to put your attention to other things like your grades and writing, on top of working on creating that comic… I should’ve broken this off sooner and given you more time to transition back into those things. Hell, I shouldn’t have started this at all, if it would cause you this much pain and guilt.”

“But I was selfish…Because I love you. And I’m just trying to make things right by letting you go.” His throat closes up, feeling like it’s going to choke him. But he’s managed to say all he needs to say.

Marc stares back at him, emerald eyes glassy with tears and bottom lip trembling. But he breathes in shakily, not allowing any of the tears to fall.

“I’m sorry.” It’s a sincere statement, shaky and full of anguish.

“Don’t be. I don’t blame you,” Luka responds softly, rubbing his thumb over the knuckles of Marc’s hand in his grasp. “Nathaniel, either… You’re forgetting that I’ve known Nath since he was an even tinier brat than he is now, because of him being Juleka’s classmate since elementary. He’s my friend, and I still care for him… Even if he happens to have my boyfriend’s heart in his hands.”

Marc shakes his head, a look of disbelief etched on his face. When he opens his lips, it’s to say, “…Sh-shouldn’t I be your ‘ex-boyfriend’ now?”

“ _Wow_. Geeze, Marc. We’ve only been broken up for, what, three minutes?” Luka teases lightly, sticking his tongue out cheekily. He earns a sputter from the other, as well as a deeply awkward and ashamed laugh, the writer’s tanned cheeks filling with a blotchy blush.

“W-Well…That’s, um. That’s still three minutes, Luka,” Marc says awkwardly, wiping away stray tears from the edges of his eyes. “A-Anyways…Thank you. I…I truly enjoyed the time we spent together.”

Luka gives Marc a soft grin, feeling bittersweet. He leans over, brushing aside the other’s bangs to give him a kiss on the forehead, before touching his own forehead to it.

“I did too.”

* * *

The two stay like that, soaking the atmosphere in for a few moments.

Luka’s heart feels like it was painfully being ripped in two, but he knew that this was better for the long run…If he hadn’t broken it off now and kept going, things would’ve been worse for everyone. He knows it…

This wasn’t a goodbye, though, despite the gentle kiss of finality.

He pulls back, gazing at the other, and decides that he did what was best. A weight he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying lifts from his shoulders. Marc’s posture also seems to sag slightly as he lets out a shaky breath and gives a wobbly smile.

This has no doubt been eating up at Marc as well. He just hadn’t known how to really bring it up, Luka’s sure. Maybe because Marc still had trouble asking for help or being confrontational. But no doubt, it was also because he didn’t want to burden Luka further.

Despite loving Marc…Luka wishes him luck in his future, wherever that took him. And the musician finds that he means that genuinely, from the bottom of his heart.

Hopefully, Nathaniel will figure things out soon enough, and stop hurting the poor, love-stricken writer. If not, Marc is going to need all the luck he can get…

If they get together, Nathaniel better take care of Marc. And in any way that Marc needs it.

“This was meant to happen…” the musician sighs.

“M-maybe…? Probably,” the writer mutters.

“But, y’know…the sex was pretty great,” Luka admits, grinning cheekily as Marc squeaks and swats him on the arm, a furious blush overtaking his face. “Oh, come on, you thought so too.” Still, an indignant, pouty glare was shot his way. “Hey, you’re in my bed _right_ _now_ …!”

At this reminder, the younger teen squeals. He grips the sheets and pulls them up to his neck, burying himself in them to fulfill his sense of modesty. “G-G-Get out!” Marc squawks out, beyond flustered. He attempts another glare, but it looks more adorable than anything, with his beet-red face and hunched posture and emerald doe-eyes.

“Kicking me out of my own bed?” Luka asks teasingly, only to get a literal kick on his leg. He lets out a small yelp. “Hey!”

“L-Let me change…!” Marc insists in a high voice, face still red. “P-Please…”

“I will, I will,” he says, raising his hands up in surrender and supplication. “But I do hope you realize that I _myself_ need to change. And that I’m also, like, totally butt-naked right now.”

The other lets out a flustered noise, pulling the sheets up to cover his entire face. Only a bit of his dark, flyaway hair was still visible, popping up above the linen.

What a _dork_. Acting like they didn’t just have sex half an hour ago, and have had sex multiple times in their relationship. Marc was too cute for his own good. Christ.

“I’ll just dip into the bathroom, then,” Luka says, finding himself laughing. He slips out of the bed at Marc’s strangled noise of agreement, bending down to scoop up his discarded clothing.

He was going to miss this. But…

“Hey, Marc?”

“…Hm?” came the wary reply, muffled by the sheets.

“We’re still friends, okay? I’m not losing you or your friendship over some bullshit drama like in some soap opera.”

And that’s a promise. Luka…he doesn’t do drama, and he doesn’t abandon his friends. That’s not who he is.

It’ll be awkward, for sure. Still interacting with Marc after this. But…He was still going to be Marc’s friend. If Marc would have him.

Just like with Marinette, really. Luka was still friends with her, even if it was supremely awkward and they both didn’t really know each other well in the end. But he wished her happiness as well, and she’s found it.

Luka finishes gathering his things, treading carefully towards the attached bathroom, content that he wouldn’t get a verbal reply for now. Except, when he glances over to the bed, Marc was peeking out of the blankets, staring intently at Luka’s face, before lowering the fabric down to his lap.

“Of course we’re still friends,” the writer states, in a quiet voice full of emotion. “I…I don’t want to stop being your friend either, you know.”

Luka can’t help the goofy smile spreading on his face, relief hitting him like a punch to the gut. He finds himself beaming over at his ex-boyfriend, a warm feeling bubbling in his stomach.

He thinks it’s hope.

“Good to know,” he tells the other warmly, meaning it wholeheartedly.

Marc smiles back at him, a tentative and shy thing. The relief is clear in his eyes and the way his tense posture relaxes, detaching his knuckle-white grip from the bedsheets.

“Now, you should probably start changing while I’m in the bathroom. I’m getting cold and need a good cup of coffee.”

“That’s fair,” Marc snorts, smiling and shaking his head, but there was something distinctly bittersweet about the action.

The writer starts to look around the edges of the bed for his clothes, and Luka turns around to make his way to change.

Things could have ended much worse, he knows. And he’s grateful that they’ve avoided that.

Ending a relationship after dating for ten months, after all, is hard. But losing their friendship after that would be even harder.

* * *

In the weeks that follow, Luka sees Marc less and less.

However, every time he’s seen Marc, it’s with Nathaniel. If the comic-making duo were close before, they were all but attached to the hip now.

Nathaniel also starts to send Luka suspicious looks and mild glares whenever they cross paths. Every time it happens, Luka has to keep himself from laughing, because absolutely _nothing_ about Nathaniel Kurtzberg is intimidating. The guy was a solid half foot shorter than Luka, and petite to boot.

Luka still smiles back at Nathaniel and Marc, happy to see that at least the breakup managed to push the oblivious dumbass closer to Marc.

It would be in bad taste for Marc to start dating Nathaniel soon after him breaking up with Luka. People would wonder if Nathaniel was just being used as a rebound and spread rumors about that. Marc manages to keep his gaga eyes and feelings to himself, though, it seems.

Luka’s proud of him.

* * *

At Luka’s graduation—about a month after him and Marc split on good terms—Luka sees Marc and Nathaniel holding hands amongst the group of friends that came to watch him graduate.

It’s surprising, though it shouldn’t be. Marc is still one of Luka’s best friends despite their romantic history, so of _course_ he’d be here to give well-wishes. And wherever Marc goes, Nathaniel follows; not to mention most of his class was also friends with Luka and attending the ceremony.

Their appearance and the fact that they’re dating shouldn’t surprise him, but it does. Maybe Luka’s just been too busy recently to really…pay attention. Good for them, though.

When the pair step up to give Luka their well-wishes after the initial hoard of his friends have finished, Nathaniel isn’t glaring, and Marc is awkward but obviously happy.

“Congrats, you two,” Luka tells them genuinely.

The duo blink back at him, startled.

“Uhhhh, aren’t—don’t _we_ say congrats to _you_?” the redhead points out cautiously.

Luka shrugs. “Well, sure. But I’m also happy for you two.”

Nathaniel just looks deeply confused. Marc looks…relieved, almost.

“Look after one another, alright? Neither of you are exactly six feet tall,” Luka advises.

Nathaniel bristles, huffing out, “I’m a _respectable_ height now, alright.” Marc snorts and giggles, causing the redhead to pout.

“Congratulations, Luka,” the writer says, smiling with all his teeth, standing straight and proud in the way he holds Nathaniel’s hand.

“Yeah, congrats on surviving the hellhole of our school,” the artist says, nodding.

“Pretty sure it was Hawkmoth’s fault for it being a hellhole,” Luka laughs, reaching forwards to bring both boys into a big hug. He feels the duo jolt in his arms in surprise. “But good luck with the next two, alright!”

“We’re the ones that are supposed to support _you_ , Luka,” Marc sighs, but there’s a smile in his voice.

“And I like supporting my friends who support me. Your point?”

“If we die from our classmates being dumbasses, just play a banger at our funeral, and we’re even,” Nathaniel deadpans.

“Deal,” the musician says quickly, overjoyed at the way the artist was joking with him. He’s missed Nathaniel’s strange sense of humor.

Marc laughs at them so hard he wheezes, and Nathaniel nods at Luka with a small smile. Luka smiles back in relief.

Their continued friendship means a lot to him.

* * *

When Luka watches the comic-making duo blend into the crowd after their well-wishes, he lets out a sigh that takes his lingering bitterness with it, expelling it from his body.

There’s no guarantees in the future. Relationships can end as sudden as they begin. People drift apart. Luka knows that well, from life experience.

He still likes to consider that he’ll be friends with both Marc and Nathaniel until they inevitably part ways in life, though.

* * *

“So, what’s your story?” a woman that’s seated next to him at the bar asks. She’s got spiky dyed pink-red hair, plus piercings and tattoos, and blue eyes.

She looks familiar. Like she could be related to one of his friends, almost. He’s not sure he’s ever heard of Alix saying she has an aunt, though.

“Uhhhh, well. Dunno. What do you wanna hear?” Luka asks cautiously, feelings himself trust this woman in spite of himself.

“Eh…Any heartbreak recently?” the woman asks, sipping on her drink. She has a sleeve of tattoos. They look cool. Maybe Luka will get a sleeve later, too.

“Well…I dated a guy for like, ten months. And then we broke it off so I could wingman him into dating one of my other friends.”

“That’s wack, my dude.”

Luka snorts into his drink. The woman talked just like Alix, too. Funny coincidence…

Unless it wasn’t.

“Do they actually get married in the future, or did I go through ten months of a doomed relationship for nothing…?” Luka asks the woman pointedly, staring straight into her eyes, blue meeting blue.

The woman—future Alix, it just _has_ to be her—smiles sharply. “Dunno. Guess you’ll have to wait and find out, huh?”

“ _Guess that’s a yes, then_ ,” Luka thinks.

Were he and Marc…were they _always_ doomed to fail, then…? Their fates pre-written. It must be—

“Stop thinking so hard,” older Alix says as she pokes him pointedly on the forehead. Luka blinks back at her. “Your brain will explode. There’s a thousand timelines out there, you know. Butterfly effect, and all that.”

So that meant…There was a reality out there were Luka and Marc stayed together. And were possibly even happy. That’s…reassuring to hear, actually. Even if one of those realities wasn’t this one that he’s currently living in.

Luka’s already let go, though. He’s _not_ going to make the mistake of holding onto his affections for someone that will never return them. He’s already done that once, and it didn’t end up going well…Though he’s still friends with Marinette, despite the strange air between them.

But it would be a bad habit to fall into. Like a snake eating its own tail, a circle that can’t be broken.

So Luka just smiles and nods at the future version of Alix, with her short hair and tattoos and piercings, and decides to break the cycle. “You’re right. Thanks.”

“No prob, mini-snake charmer,” she grins back at him, before slapping a bill on the counter and barking over at the barkeep, “Oi, sir! I’m paying for my drink and the blue kid’s!”

Older Alix stands, shoots Luka a wink, and disappears into the crowd of patrons.

And Luka thinks, alright. He’ll see what the future has in store. He trusts his friends.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so fascinated by Luka and his character, but I don't really write about him often. I can also count on one hand the amount of characters I ship him with. Yes, Marc happens to be one of them.
> 
> I feel bad for making Luka's Thing be that he's "the second choice" since he's so genuinely nice and patient, and would make the perfect boyfriend. I feel like he's the type that wants to still stay friends with everyone as well, even if its awkward or painful, because he appreciates platonic bonds.
> 
> Also, this fic isn't meant to bash Marc or Marcnath as a ship, since I adore both as well. Again, teenagers are complicated. Feelings are complicated. Relationships are complicated. 
> 
> I wanted to show both Luka and Marc as multi-faceted, complicated, and sympathetic. Both of them are kind and considerate people. They both still value one another even after their breakup.  
> Things just happen, you know? Sometimes relationships don't work out.


End file.
